London 2012 Olympics: Fran Halsall in the pink after qualifying for 100m freestyle in fastest time this year

Talk about doing it in style. Fran Halsall qualified for London 2012 in her
target event, the 100metres freestyle, and went fastest in the world this
year in doing so at the Olympic Aquatics Centre in London on Thursday - in a
bright pink suit.

Need for speed: Fran Halsall won the 100m freestyle at the London Aquatics Centre in 53.57sec on ThursdayPhoto: EPA

“I want to come high in the fashion stakes,” she said. “The reason why I wore it is because when my dad comes to watch he tells my mum, ‘Fran’s not doing well, her stroke looks awful’.

"And my mum has to tell him he’s looking at the wrong lane. So if I wear the bright suit he can see what lane I’m in.”

There was no mistaking Halsall in the British Gas Championships on Thursday night. She powered into a lead that she retained throughout, although her Loughborough team-mate Amy Smith also swam impressively to secure her spot in the British team.

While Halsall’s 53.57sec has yet to be bettered this year, it did not meet her high expectations.

“I’m a bit disappointed with the time, I thought I’d go a bit faster,” she said. “But then I have never been this fast in Britain before and it is the fastest I have ever been at this time of year.”

Halsall was edged out of the medals in the World Championships last summer, coming fourth in Shanghai, but that was after ankle surgery interrupted her preparation.

She knows she will have to get a lot quicker if she is to fight off a very competitive field. “My coach always tells me I never really turn up until the summer anyway so hopefully I will be able to go faster come the Games,” she said.

Joe Roebuck capped a superb week in the men’s 200m medley by beating the favoured James Goddard to qualify for his third event at London 2012.

Goddard finished fourth at the World Championships last summer, no mean achievement in a field containing Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps, and the 28-year-old had focused all his energies on this event. He swam quick enough to qualify but having gone out hard he could not hold off Roebuck’s late surge.

“I didn’t expect to go out that quick considering my preparation,” Goddard said. “I have had some illness so I’m really relieved to make the team.”

If there was relief for Goddard, there was joy for Roebuck, who has already qualified for the 400m medley and the 200m butterfly, perfectly managing a punishing schedule. “It has been a great week, everything has gone my way,” said Roebuck after swimming a personal best 1min 58.16sec.

Despite the prospect of racing against both Phelps and Lochte, Roebuck said he would focus on this event in the summer. “My focus at the Games will be on the 200m medley,” he said.

In the women’s 200m breaststroke, Stacey Tadd also booked her place in the team with a career-best swim. “A personal best, an English record and a Olympic qualifying time: it couldn’t have gone any better for me,” Tadd said.

Molly Renshaw, who only turns 16 in May, finished just 0.18sec behind Tadd but not quick enough to make the qualifying time. However, she will get a second chance at the ASA Championships in June.

There was disappointment in the men’s 200m backstroke, though. Calum Jarvis won the race ahead of Marco Loughran and Chris Walker-Hebborn but finished a second outside the qualifying time.

Meanwhile there was a new milestone for Team GB’s remarkable Paralympian Eleanor Simmonds, who broke her own 200m medley world record. The 17-year-old recorded a time of 3min 08.14sec in the S6 category.

Friday’s highlights

Women’s 800m freestyle Rebecca Adlington takes to the pool in her target event — she has already qualified in the 400m freestyle but this represents her best chance of gold in the summer. She has been swimming some ferociously fast times — how fast can she go in this Olympic pool? Eleanor Faulkner will be leading the chase for the second qualifying spot.

Women’s 200m backstroke Having missed out in the 100m backstroke, European champion Lizzie Simmonds will be determined to secure her place in her strongest event, although the speed of Karley Mann and Stephanie Proud in the semi-finals suggests she will be in for a tough fight.

Men’s 100m Butterfly This promises to be an exceptional tight race. Antony James went quickest in the semi-finals but Braxston Timm and Michael Rock, swimming for his place at the Games after missing out in the 200m, will be pushing him hard as they seek to make an exacting qualifying time.

Men’s 50m Freestyle Another race that will come down to fractions of a second: Craig Gibbons has set the pace with 22.41sec, but Adam Brown, Simon Burnett, Kane Haggett and James Disney-May will be chasing him down.